How to Write an Oral Statement to Congress
Now that you have developed your solutions, you are ready to create a draft of your oral statement. To get started, complete the following:
1. Review best practices for preparing an oral statement to a Congressional committee or other policy-making body or public forum.
2. Create a five- to seven-page written draft of your statement.
3. Reference the CFAA and at least one state statute.
4. Reference new developments in cybersecurity governance and legislative and regulatory processes.
Submit your draft to your instructor for feedback.
Oral statements are used to convey expertise, perspective, knowledge, and/or experience on a given topic. They are a mechanism to deliver information before one or more people, usually with the expectations that questions will be asked and answered during the session. Oral statements are generally accompanied by a written component that should largely represent the oral report that you will give. While your oral testimony might not be recorded, your written statement will be preserved as a record of your time before a given body.
Generally, you will not be able to cover all of your points in an oral statement due to time restrictions, so it is important to capture your key points in a written statement. Doing so will allow you to identify and prioritize the points you want to emphasize during the oral component of your testimony. Your testimony should be concise, clear, and direct. You should avoid acronyms, stick with your perspectives and knowledge, and try to anticipate and answer questions in your written component.
Your statement should start by thanking the inviting party and by introducing yourself, sharing the background and experience that qualifies you to speak on the given topic. An initial executive summary of a few paragraphs is preferred as it provides a succinct introduction to your topic. You should use an outline to complete your written draft, being certain to address the requested topics or questions. Your written statement should be carefully proofread and corrected, and you should cite sources in the appropriate format as footnotes or endnotes.
